Swaging machine for a continuous swaging of rod-shaped workpieces

ABSTRACT

The hammers of a swaging machine, which extend radially to the axis of the feeding path of a workpiece, are driven by eccentric shafts parallel to this path. Each hammer is slidably guided in the longitudinal direction thereof, and elliptic chucks transform the rotation of the shafts into a radial swaging motion of the hammers to and from the feeding path and into an oscillating rocking motion in a plane defined by the axes of the feeding path and the associated shaft. Each chuck comprises a spider rigid with the associated hammer, a cylindrical link surrounding the eccentric of the associated shaft, a first guiding element carried by the spider, a second guiding element carried by the link, meshing helical teeth on the guiding elements, and the second guiding elements being held against displacement parallel to the shafts.

United States Patent Blaimschein 1 Sept. 12, 1972 [54] SWAGING MACHINEFOR A 3,224,244 12/ 1965 Kralowetz ..72/402 CONTINUOUS SWAGING OF ROD-3,460,370 8/1969 Kralowetz ..72/408 SHAPED WORKPIECES 3,572,077 3/1971Kralowetz ..72/189 3,596,497 8 1971 K al tz ..72 4 [72] Inventor:Gottfried Blaimschein, Steyr, Aus- I owe O4 ma Primary Examiner-CharlesW. Lanham 73 Assigneez GFM Geseuschaft fur Ferfigung AsslstantExammer-Gene P. Crosby stechnik und Maschinenbau Aktien- Attorney-KurtKelma" l t 22 F1 d i 2 l 70 Steyr Aus na [57] ABSTRACT 1 1e The hammersof a swaging machine, which extend [21] Appl. No.: 88,946 radially tothe axis of the feeding path of a workpiece, are driven by eccentricshafts parallel to this path. t Each hammer is slidably guided in thelongitudinal [30] Forelgn Apphcauon Pnomy Data direction thereof, andelliptic chucks transform the Dec. 19, 1969 Austria ..11818/69 rotationof the shafts into a radial swaging motion of the hammers to and fromthe feeding path and into an 52 US. Cl .....72/402, 72/406 oscillatingrocking motion in a plane defined y the 51 Int. Cl. ..B21j 9/06 axes ofthe feeding P and the associated shaft Each 58 Field of Search..72/402,404,429, 189,399, chuck comprises a p t rigid h the associated72/452, 406 hammer, a cylindrical link surrounding the eccentric of theassociated shaft, a first guiding element carried by the spider, asecond guiding element carried by the [56] References cued link, meshinghelical teeth on the guiding elements, UNITED STATES PATENTS and thesecond guiding elements being held against d l t all It th hafts.2,903,923 9/1959 Kralowetz ..72/189 meme par 6 6 S 3,165,012 6/19652Claims,2Drawing Figures Kralowetz ..72/402 PATENTED 12 I972 3.690.142

sum 1 OF 2 FIG! I I N VEN'TOR.

GENT

i SWAGINGMACHINE FOR A CONTINUOUS SWAGING OF ROD-SHAPED WORKPIECES Thisinvention relates to a swaging machine for a continuous swaging ofrod-shaped workpieces, which machine comprises connecting rod-likehammers, which extend radially to the axis of the workpiece and aredriven by eccentric shafts that are parallel to said axis, each of saidhammers comprising the spider of an elliptic chuck which includes acylindrical link, which surrounds the eccentric and is slidably guidedin the spider transversely to the axis of the hammer, each hammer alsocomprising a rotatable sliding guide, which is disposed between theeccentric shaft and the workpiece,'and each hammer performing both aradial swaging movement to and from the workpiece and a rocking movementin the plane which extends through the axes of theworkpiece and of theeccentric shaft.

Swaging machines are known in which the eccentric shafts for driving theconnecting rod-like hammers extend transversely to the axis of theworkpiece and in which the axis of rotation of the sliding guide foreach hammer is parallel to the associated eccentric shaft. In thisarrangement, the hammers constitute true connecting rods, which performa motion that is composed of a thrust movement toward the workpiece anda rocking or oscillating motion about the axis of rotation of thesliding guide so that the hammers do not only shape the workpiece so asto reduce the cross-section thereof but also advance the workpiece. Theorientation of the eccentric shafts transversely to the axis of theworkpiece necessitates the provision of bevel or angle gear drives fordriving the eccentric shafts. Particularly .in machines which .comprisemore than two hammers,'these bevel or angle, gear drives involve arelatively complicated and expensive design. The common drive of two ormore similar swaging machines arranged one behind the other is alsorendered difficult.

A swaging machine has been disclosed in which this disadvantage iseliminated in that the axes of the eccentric shafts are parallel to theaxis of the workpiece and the axes of rotation of the sliding guides aretransverse to the axis of the workpiece and an oscillating rockingmotion about the axis of rotation of the sliding guide is superimposedon'the radial thrust motion of the hammers. To superimpose the motions,each hammer comprises a spider of an elliptic chuck which comprises alink that embraces the eccentric and is displaceable transversely to theaxis of the hammer. On that side of the spider which is remote from thesliding guide, the hammers engage a coupling pin, which is parallel tothe eccentric shaft and is adapted to reciprocate to an extent which isdetermined by the rotation of the eccentric shaft. For this reason,these hammers do not perform a rocking motion in a plane which is normalto the axis of the workpiece and to the axes of the eccentric shaftsbecause these hammers comprise spiders of elliptic chucks in which onlythe link performs the transverse movement which is required. Thereciprocation of the coupling pin imparts to each hammer an oscillatingmotion in the plane that includes the axis of the eccentric shaft andthe axis of the workpiece so that the workpiece is advanced as desiredas it is shaped by the hammers although the axes of the eccentric shaftsextend parallel to the axis of the workpiece so that simple spur gearsmay be used for driving the eccentric shafts.

linked to a pivoted spider of an elliptic chuck, which comprises a linkthat embraces another eccentric mounted on the eccentric shaft so thatthe crank arm, the coupling link and the spider chuck form a four-barlinkage. The additional eccentric on the eccentric shaft that the crankarm oscillates in unison therewith and the nut performs an oscillatingangular motion so as to impart the desired reciprocating axial motion tothe coupling pin and the desired oscillation to the hammer in thedesired dependence on the rotation of the eccentric shaft. In that knownswaging machine, the eccentric shafts can be driven by a fairly simplemechanism which includes simple spur gears but the oscillation of thehammers in the plane which includes the axes of the eccentric shafts andthe axis of the workpiece, which oscillation is superimposed on theaxial motion of the hammers, still requires a considerable structuralexpenditure. For this reason, that solution is not fully satisfactory.

it is an object of the invention to eliminate these disadvantages and-soto improve the swaging machine which has been described hereinbeforethat the oscillating motion of the hammers which is superimposed on theradial swaging motion to and from the workpiece is accomplished by meanswhich are very simple in structure so that the structural expenditure ismuch reduced.

This object is accomplished according to the invention in that thecooperating guiding elements on one side of the spider and on the linkof the elliptic chuck comprise meshing helical teeth and the. guidingelement of the link is held against a displacement parallel to theeccentric shaft. During the rotation of the eccentric shaft, the linkperforms in the spider formed by the hammer an axial motion which istransverse to the axis of the hammer whereas the hammer initiallyfollows only that movement of the link which is in the direction of theaxis of the hammer. Because the link and spider of the elliptic chuckcomprise meshing helical teeth, a displacement of the link transverselyto the axis of the hammer will necessarily result in an additionalmotion of one of the two meshing parts in the plane which includes theaxis of the eccentric shaft. Because the guiding element of the link isheld against a displacement that is parallel to the eccentric shaft,only the hammer itself can perform said additional motion so that thehammer will oscillate as desired. This oscillation of the hammer isenabled because the link is cylindrical and the hammer is guided in therotatable sliding guide. This results in a comparatively simple design,which hardly adds to the structural expenditure which is anyway requiredbecause it is sufficient to provide helical teeth on the guidingelements on one side of the spider and the link of the elliptic chuck.

To enable an oscillating rocking motion of the connecting rod-likehammer relative to the link about the axis of rotation of the slidingguide for the hammer, the axes of the cylindrical surfaces of the linkand of the spider of the elliptic chuck must coincide with the axis ofrotation of the sliding guide. The axial motion of the hammer to andfrom the workpiece results necessarily in a displacement of the axis ofthe cylinder relative to the axis of rotation of the sliding guide. Suchdisplacement is also due to the fact that the location of the axis ofrotation of the eccentric shaft is changed when the hammer engages theworkpiece or the depth of penetration of the hammer into the workpieceis changed. To take these changes into account, the link of the ellipticchuck is provided on its side which is opposite to the helical teethwith a cylindrical guiding surface, which is coaxial with the helicalteeth, the common cylinder axis coincides approximately with the axis-ofrotation of the sliding guide for the hammer, and the link of theelliptic chuck consists of two parts, one of which has no helical teethand is displaceable in the direction of the eccentric shaft. Owing tothe division of the link of the elliptic chuck into two parts, which aremovable relative to each other parallel to the axis of the eccentricshaft, the hammer can perform a pivotal movement relative to the link ofthe elliptic chuck even when the axis of the cylindrical guidingelements of said link does not exactly agree with the axis of rotationof the sliding guide.

An embodiment of the invention is shown by way of example on theaccompanying drawing, in which FIGS. 1 and 2 are fragmentary sectionalviews taken on line I-I in FIG. 2 and on line II-II in FIG. 1,respectively, and showing a part of a swaging machine.

A machine housing 1 comprises four connecting rodlike hammers 3, whichare angularly spaced 90 apart and extend radially to the axis 2 of theworkpiece. Each hammer 3 cooperates with a rotatable sliding guide 4 andis driven by an eccentric shaft 5, which is parallel to the axis 2 ofthe workpiece. The eccentric shafts 5 are eccentrically mounted inrotatable adjusting housings 6, which are rotatable to change thedistance from the axes of the eccentric shafts to the axis 2 of theworkpiece so that the stroke position of the hammers will be changedtoo. Each eccentric shaft is driven by a clutch, which is onlydiagrammatically indicated and permits of a displacement of theeccentric shaft relative to the driving spur gear. Such clutches areknown in the art.

Each hammer 3 comprises a spider 7 of anelliptic chuck. Guiding elements8, 9 having a cylindrical inside surface are anchored in said spider.The eccentric 10 of each eccentric shaft 5 is surrounded by a two-partlink ll, 12, which is slidable in the spider transversely to the axis ofthe hammer. The part 12 of the link has a cylindrical outside surface,which conforms to the cylindrical inside surface of the guiding element9 of the spider. The guiding element 8 of the spider and the guidingelement 11 of the link of the elliptic chuck carry meshing helical teeth13. The cylindrical guiding surfaces of the elements 9 and 12 and thehelical teeth 13 have a common axis, which approximately coincides withthe axis of rotation of the sliding guide 4. As is apparent from FIG. 1,the guiding element 11 of the link of the elliptic chuck is held againsta displacement parallel to the eccentric shaft 5. On the other hand, theelement 12 can move in this direction relative to the part 11. The twoelements ll, 12 of the link of the elliptic chuck are rigidly coupled tomove in unison in a direction whichis transverse to the eccentric shaft.On that side of the spider 7 of the elliptic chuck which is remote fromthe sliding guide 4, the hammers 3 are provided with two bifurcatedguide extensions 14, which straddle a stationary slide rail 15. As aresult, the hammers can oscillate only in the planes which are definedby the axes of the eccentric shaft and the axis 2 of the workpiecewhereas a movement transverse to the axis of the workpiece and of theeccentric shaft is precluded.

During a rotation of the eccentric shaft 5, the twopart link 11, 12reciprocates in the spider 7 in the direction of the arrow 16 in FIG. 2and the hammer is moved radially to and from the workpiece at the sametime. Owing to the meshing helical teeth 13, the reciprocating relativeaxial movement of the link 1 1, 12 also results in a reciprocatingrocking motion of the hammer 3 in the direction of the arrow 17 in FIG.1 because the guiding element 11 of the link is supported at its end inthe adjusting housing 6 and is thus held against a movement parallel tothe eccentric shaft. When the axis of the cylindrical guiding surfacesdoes not coincide with the axis of rotation of the sliding guide 4, thedivision of the link into two parts enables a very slight movement ofthe element 12 of the link in a direction which is parallel to theeccentric shaft.

What is claimed is:

1. A swaging machine for a continuous swaging of rod-shaped workpieces,which comprises means defining a feeding path for a workpiece, whichfeeding path has an axis,

a plurality of connecting rod-like hammers, which extend substantiallyradially to said axis and are angularly spaced with respectthereto,

a plurality of eccentric shafts, which are parallel to said feeding pathand each of which carries an eccentric and is associated with one ofsaid hammers and operable to drive the same,

a plurality of sliding guides, each of which is disposed between one ofsaid eccentric shafts and said axis of said feeding path and arranged toguide one of said hammers in the longitudinal direction thereof, and

a plurality of elliptic chucks, each of which operatively connects oneof said eccentric shafts to the hammer associated therewith and isarranged to transform a rotation of said eccentric shaft into a radialswaging motion of the hammer to and from said axis of said feeding pathand into an oscillating rocking motion in a plane which includes saidaxis of said feeding path and the axis of the associated eccentricshaft,

each of said elliptic chucks comprising a spider which is rigid with theassociated hammer, a cylindrical link which surrounds said eccentric ofthe associated eccentric shaft, a first guiding element carried by saidspider and provided with first helical teeth, and a second guidingelement carried by said link and provided with second helical teethmeshing with said first helical teeth,

said machine also comprising means which hold said second guidingelements against a displacement parallel to said eccentric shafts.

2. A swaging machine as set forth in claim 1, in which i 6 said link isprovided on the side which is opposite to sociated sliding guide, and

said second helical teeth with a cylindrical guiding said link consistsof two parts, one of which is said 7 surface, second guiding element andthe other of which is said cylindrical guiding surface and said s d hlidisplaceable in the axial direction of said eccentric cal teeth have acommon axis which coincides ap- 5 shaft proximately with the axis ofrotation of the as-

1. A swaging machine for a continuous swaging of rod-shaped workpieces,which comprises means defining a feeding path for a workpiece, whichfeeding path has an axis, a plurality of connecting rod-like hammers,which extend substantially radially to said axis and are angularlyspaced with respect thereto, a plurality of eccentric shafts, which areparallel to said feeding path and each of which carries an eccentric andis associated with one of said hammers and operable to drive the same, aplurality of sliding guides, each of which is disposed between one ofsaid eccentric shafts and said axis of said feeding path and arranged toguide one of said hammers in the longitudinal direction thereof, and aplurality of elliptic chucks, each of which operatively connects one ofsaid eccentric shafts to the hammer associated therewith and is arrangedto transform a rotation of said eccentric shaft into a radial swagingmotion of the hammer to and from said axis of said feeding path and intoan oscillating rocking motion in a plane which includes said axis ofsaid feeding path and the axis of the associated eccentric shaft, eachof said elliptic chucks comprising a spider which is rigid with theassociated hammer, a cylindrical link which surrounds said eccentric ofthe associated eccentric shaft, a first guiding element carried by saidspider and provided with first helical teeth, and a second guidingelement carried by said link and provided with second helical teethmeshing with said first helical teeth, said machine also comprisingmeans which hold said second guiding elements against a displacementparallel to said eccentric shafts.
 2. A swaging machine as set forth inclaim 1, in which said link is provided on the side which is opposite tosaid second helical teeth with a cylindrical guiding surface, saidcylindrical guiding surface and said second helical teeth have a commonaxis which coincides approximately with the axis of rotation of theassociated sliding guide, and said link consists of two parts, one ofwhich is said second guiding element and the other of which isdisplaceable in the axial direction of said eccentric shaft.